Scrapbooks & Promises
by May Lily
Summary: JONAS LA. It starts with subtle smiles, footsies, and the mouthing of words from across the breakfast table. long oneshot; nick/macy; nacy.


_I think I'll start off by saying, I really hope you enjoy this. I worked incredibly hard on it, even though, I have to say, this story was by far the easiest for me to write. It's very long, I think bordering around 14,000 words, and it's a oneshot - well, not really. It's written in snapshot form, and it goes in chronological order, and it spans within a time span of around 5 years? _

_I'm not going to lie, I spent hours trying to think of a description and a title for this story, but I came up with nothing. So the title and description right now are really.. not very good. But I won't complain._

_I have one thing to ask of you though, I don't need reviews or favorites, or anything, I just ask of you to read it - the story- all the way through. I know it's long and it may be unbearable at times, but if you start it, just read the rest. For me?_

_Anyway, I won't keep you too long, I'll see you at the bottom! - May Lily_

**_Disclaimer: I don't own JONAS LA or anything associated with it, if you've seen it before, it isn't mine._**

* * *

**Scrapbooks and Promises**

_by May Lily_

It starts with subtle smiles, footsies, and the mouthing of words from across the breakfast table.

Nick notices that there's a certain distinct way how Macy saunters to the table in the early morning, a yawn escaping from her perfectly-shaped lips, her fingers running through her brown hair, and her free hand rubbing her now watery eyes.

She's wearing a plain white v-neck and jean shorts, but even clad in the most simplest things, he thinks she's the most stunning and beautiful girl he's ever seen.

Once her hazel eyes meet his brown ones, she grins and he can't help but smile secretly back, just for her and only her.

Because she's his. She's completely and officially as of this day, _his_ Macy.

"Hey guys," Stella says, from next to Macy, addressing all the boys. Nick glances up, finally realizing the blonde's presence - he was a bit too into watching his girlfriend.

Gosh, _his girlfriend_, oh, he loves the sound of that.

"Hey Stella, hey Macy," Kevin answers, slipping out of the kitchen with a stack of pancakes and toast. He places the food on the table smoothly and takes the seat across from Joe and next to Nick.

"Hey," the middle brother greets, turning around in his seat to look at the incoming guests.

Nick simply nods to acknowledge them.

Both girls sit down, Stella next to Joe, and Macy next to Stella, across from Nick.

"Oh, Joe!" Stella complains almost instantly once she sits down, spotting a stain on his newly washed blue button up. Her fingers immediately reach for a napkin and begin dabbing at the orange juice stain that was just created a couple seconds ago.

Nick catches Macy rolling her eyes and flashing him a smile - Stella and Joe's banter was obvious, regardless of the fact that both agreed on staying friends.

"I'm a messy eater," Joe states, nonchalantly.

"Please, guys, it's early in the morning, just eat," Kevin urges, shoving a large piece of toast in his mouth, and chewing obnoxiously. Macy's slightly amused and disgusted look isn't lost on Nick and he laughs lightly to himself, having Macy shoot a raised eyebrow at him.

"Fine," Stella gives in, putting down the napkin and raising a fork. "But if he gets _anything_ on his pants.."

Stella begins ranting and amidst this distraction, Nick mouths _good morning_ to the perky brunette across from him. She, willingly, and cutely he must say, mouths _you too_ back to him, and he leans back in his chair, satisfied.

"Where's the syrup?" Joe asks, frustratedly staring at his plain pancakes.

"I'll get it," Macy offers, hopping up in her seat just as Nick says the same thing in a low, grumbling voice.

Macy laughs. "We'll both get it," she suggests, and he nods as they both get up from the chair and head into the kitchen just nearby. Once they're alone, Nick wraps his arms around her, pressing her to him, his nose nestled in her hair, the vanilla scent of her intoxicating him.

She leans her head on his chest, enjoying the hug, for a moment before letting go. "Sorry," Nick apologizes, the tips of his mouth curving up just a little, Macy could hardly tell that he was smiling. Nick reaches up in the cabinet the grab the sticky bottle of syrup. "You're my girlfriend, and I haven't hugged you all day, and it was driving me crazy." He explains, his voice quiet so no one could hear him.

Macy looks up, biting her lip and smiling also. "It's okay, I actually like it, believe it or not," she teases. "Your hugs aren't _that_ horrible."

Nick rolls his eyes, shaking his head and almost about to protest, but deciding not to. Both head back to the table, silently, acting like nothing had happened.

He places the small bottle of sugar on the table quickly and takes his seat in front of where Macy had already taken hers. He exchanges another smile with the teenager, and under the table somehow finds her small feet and legs.

Nick tangles his feet around hers and grins that rare smile at her, finally beginning his breakfast.

.

It's their first day back at school, and it's actually sort of sad, well, at least it is to Macy.

She's so used to waking up in the morning and seeing Stella in the bed next to hers, being able to walk into the next room and see her boyfriend, Nick, and her best friends Joe and Kevin, that she's almost nostalgic when she gets up that day. She looks around her, sure, she's missed home, she's missed her bed, but after spending the best summer of her life, she can't help but just miss the idea of sleeping in the same house as all her good friends.

But she likes it. She likes going back to school. She's going back to where her friendships are completely solid and her relationship with Nick is at its height.

"Stella!" Macy exclaims, throwing her arms around the fashionable blond. Of course, she's done something to her uniform already, it's Stellafied, pink, glittery, and always beautiful. It's always weird, coming back from a break and wearing the old uniform again, and not her own clothes.

"Macy!" Stella shouts back at her best friend, hugging the smaller girl hard. A smile is apparent on her bubbly face. "I can't believe I'm a senior."

"Hey Stell, hey Mace," Joe steps in, Nick behind him. Stella and Macy pull away from each other at the sudden company. Stella's face lights up immediately at Joe, a sort of crush-grin on her face. "Can I join in this little love fest here?"

Joe leans over and pecks Stella on the cheek.

Nick makes a fake gagging face, his hand flying to his neck in mock choke, that Macy can't help but laugh at. Joe shoots both of them a glare, and they take it as an initiative to leave the flirting couple alone. They've always had a problem hiding their (sometimes not-so) relationship, anyway.

He takes her hand and walks her down the hall, a small smile plastered on his face. "It's really good to see you," Nick says, like he did at the beginning of summer. He grins at the quote. Macy rolls her eyes.

"It's good to see you too, Nick," she replies, on cue, her voice sweet.

Nick leans in to hug her, burying his nose in her sweet-smelling hair. "I kind of missed seeing you in that uniform."

She pulls away. "Reminds you of some good times, right?" Macy asks, a grin on her face as she reminisces about the past year.

"Something like that."

.

"What's wrong?" Macy asks, her fingers nervously wrapped around the metal fork in anticipation. She toys with her spaghetti, twisting the noodles around the plate and looks expectantly at the curly-haired boy in front of her. "There's something going on." It's not even a question. Just a statement.

"What makes you think there's something wrong?" Nick says, avoiding the question, his gaze fixed, challenging her.

Macy rolls her eyes, and shakes her head a little. "Well," she begins, her voice serious. "You've taken me to an amusement park, a picnic, a movie, a golf course, and now you've taken me to an obviously expensive romantic dinner all in this week."

"Hey-"

"Wait, I'm not done yet." Macy stops him, politely, her hand lifting up to stop him from speaking. "You kiss me at every chance you get, you've bought me countless number of things, and you tell me you love me about every two minutes."

Nick keeps a straight face. "I'm just being a good boyfriend, is that so bad?"

"No, no, Nick, I love it, and you're an amazing boyfriend, I'm not complaining," she says quickly, afraid he might get the wrong idea. Macy sighs, rolling a meatball around on her plate. "But there's something else. I know it."

He looks down, hesitantly, adjusts his coat. "Promise you won't be mad?" He says, his voice quiet and low - and suddenly, she's scared about what he's going to say.

She bites her lip. "Why would I be mad?" She breathes out, as he looks up to meet her eyes again.

"I'm going on a tour," Nick admits, a frown spreading on his face. "Over the winter, for three months. I'll be missing school and I'll have to make it up over private schooling over the tour. I'm leaving in January and I won't be back until April."

Her heart drops. Her voice is small, shaky. "That's good, right?" Macy asks, and he doesn't answer, his eyes solemn. "Three months.. It can't be that long. You'll call me, right?"

"Of course, I will, Macy," he reassures her, leaning over the table and taking her hand. "I'll call you every single day."

She's silent for a moment, contemplating something. "You're going to miss Valentine's Day. And our six month anniversary." It isn't sad the way she says it, she says it as if she's stating a simple fact, nothing of importance.

"I'm sorry," Nick says simply, and he feels guilty for leaving her.

"It's alright," Macy decides, a smile breaking over her face. Her hand reaches out to stroke his cheek. "Go make girls swoon, live your dream, but don't forget little Macy Misa waiting for you back in small town New Jersey, okay?"

"I don't think I can ever forget you," he murmurs, before taking her in for a kiss.

.

"Something's wrong," Nick states simply, over the phone, concern flooding in his voice. She smiles sadly, wishing so desperately to see his face, how his eyebrows scrunch together when he's worried and his mouth curves to a frown. "What is it?"

She sighs. "It's nothing," Macy lies, unconvincingly.

"Mace..."

"I just really miss you, Nick," she admits, her voice small and broken. She stifles a strangled cry - and _why is she doing this_? She was always so strong. "_So much_."

There's silence on the other line for a moment, and then she hears him take in a deep, unsteady breath. He's caught off guard, and she's never been this insecure with him. "I miss you too, Macy," he tells her, sincere - his voice cracking a little.

There's a sharp pain of longing in her heart and she feels like she's going to cry, it's clenching her heart and suffocating her and she chokes back a sob. "I want you to come home," she begs, though she knows its impossible. He's halfway across the world and has a performance or publicity event every day and night.

She's lucky she's able to get these late night/early morning calls from him anyway - that he's willing to wake up at 5 AM just to talk to her before he has to leave again at 7.

His heart feels like shattering into a million pieces. "I'm sorry, Mace, you know if I could fly over to you right now, I would in a heartbeat."

"I know," Macy replies, a sigh escaping from her lips. "I'm being such a baby, aren't I?"

"If you're one, than I must be a bigger one," Nick answers, and she could almost hear the tiny smile on his face. Her heart drops as she imagines his breathtaking smile.

He wants to kiss her, feel her in his arms, and whisper loving words in her ear.

"I feel so clingy and needy and jealous and just like the kind of girlfriend I would hate to have," Macy says, miserably. "Can I believe I'm actually incredibly jealous of your opening act? She's four years older than you and I still have these horrid ideas that she's going to steal you away from me or something."

Nick chuckles, running his fingers through his curls. "You won't have to worry about her," he reassures her. "There's only one girl in the entire universe that I've got my eyes on. And that happens to be my beautiful girlfriend back home."

Macy smiles, biting her lip. "I can't believe I've gone nearly three months without touching or kissing you," Macy contemplates, her fingers playing with the seams on her blanket. "I can't wait until you come back. You owe me. When you're back here in Jersey, I want you for one whole day all to myself."

He laughs, and he can't help but _love_ the idea of having Macy all to himself for twenty-four hours. "I can't object to that," he answers, a smile on his face.

Silence fills the line, both basking in the comfortable quiet. "Hey Mace?" Nick asks, his voice quiet and sincere. All he can hear is breathing on the other line. "Happy 8-monthaversary."

It takes him a moment to realize that the breathing is strangely steady and that she had in fact fallen asleep. He can hear the light, quiet snoring, like of a kitty, and he laughs quietly to himself.

"Good night, Macy," Nick says to the sleeping girl on the other line. "I love you."

He hangs up the phone, leans back against the hotel wall, and _smiles_.

.

It's springtime and it seems as hormones and what-seem-to-be-romances fill the air. Suddenly, people are getting together, breaking up, and gossip is at its high point. It's senior prom night, and they're sure by the next day, rumors will arise and spread about who slept with who on the dreaded night, who drank themselves sick, and where the biggest party was.

But all they know is that they're juniors and they're spending this anticipated night alone, watching sappy romantic comedies in the quiet, empty firehouse.

She's sitting on the right of him, and his arm is around her, pressing her side against his. His free hand is intertwined with hers, lying on their lap. Her head is comfortably leaning on his shoulder, and they're as close as they can possibly get on the small couch.

She can smell him, he smells of sugarfree cookies, and his cologne, a beautiful and wonderful scent that she loves. Macy takes a deep breath, savoring the moment. "Mmm," she mumbles, her head tucked in his neck. "This is nice."

Nick turns his head to look at her, grinning. "It is," he agrees, adjusting his position in an attempt to snuggle closer.

"Can you believe it? Joe and Stella, finally going to prom together," Macy says, as if it were the most impossible thing in the world. "I was almost afraid that they were going to go with the wrong people, well, like they always do."

He laughs. "I guess all those torturing days of him talking nonstop about Stella paid off," Nick replies, thinking back to the past few days. "Even someone like Joe deserves his perfect prom, fairytale dance, or whatever, you know?"

She nods against him. "Yeah, and all those hours spent in the dressing room, and listening to Stella talk about how she would design her perfect dress didn't go to waste," she comments. "She looks really beautiful tonight, you know. Stella needs this prom night."

There's a silence between them, the only sound in the firehouse was of the intense argument in the movie, ending with a gut-wrenching, angsty kiss.

"Nick," Macy says quietly, turning to face her boyfriend. "You'll take to prom, right?"

He looks taken aback, as if she suggested otherwise. "Of course I will, Mace!" He answers, his voice clearly sincere, shocked that she even asked the question.

"Promise?" She asks, sighing and tightening her hold on his hand.

"I promise," Nick answers, turning just a bit to place a light kiss on her forehead.

.

"Dude, you're so whipped," Joe says, incredulously, at his younger brother. He's leaning over the table in the firehouse, watching the curly-haired boy flip through a jewelery catalog with a determined look on her face. "Like, completely."

Nick looks up, annoyed at his clearly not-a-single-romantic-bone-in-his-body brother. "You know, some people actually _care_ about their girlfriend." He snaps, before looking back down and studying the page full of rings.

"I care about my girlfriend!" Joe exclaims, offended, he slams his fist on the table to show his anger. "You know, on our six-month, I gave her a shirt with my face ironed on it." He says it as if it's the most amazing gift that anyone's ever come up with.

Nick shakes his head to himself. "I'm sure she _loved_ that." He mutters, turning a page of the catalog.

"Hey! At least _I_ was _there_ for Stella and my six-month!" Joe protests, running his fingers vainly through his out-grown hair. He adjusts his glasses, looking at himself in the mirror on the side of them.

Nick winces at the accusation and looks up at Joe dejectedly. It still hurts that he missed an important landmark in his and Macy's relationship, and he never had forgotten that. "Really?" Nick asks, hurt. "That's your comeback? You know how I feel about that."

Joe seems taken aback, guilt flooding in his face immediately. "Sorry."

Nick doesn't answer, simply looking back down in the catalog. "This one," he says, confidently, pointing to a rather-expensive ring on the page. Joe moves towards his younger brother, looking over his shoulder. "This is the one."

.

Nick works hard to make Macy and his one-year-anniversary special and perfect. He packs up peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (she'd always loved simple comfort foods like that), a pitcher of lemonade, plastic cups and plates, and several home-baked cookies in a woven basket he found at some thrift store.

He slides the small dark-blue velvet box in his jacket and smiles.

_This is going to be an amazing day_.

Nick picks her up at her house at noon, and even after a year, her simple, unbelievable beauty still surprises him. Her hair is in pigtails, naturally curly at the bottom, and she's wearing a blue floral summer dress that fits her so well, it drives him insane. Blue was always his favorite color on her.

He can't stop smiling on the ride to the park.

It's a quiet park, where he hopes no one can find them, and they eat PB&J sandwiches and laugh and talk and just have the best time they've ever had. They lay on the grass and look at the cloudless sky on the summer day, hands intertwined and simply enjoying each other's company.

"I made you a scrapbook," Macy says, getting up and reaching into her bag for a thick book. She hands it to him, and Nick's almost breathless at how much work she must've put in it. It's intricately designed on the cover, letters sewed onto fabric and glued around their favorite picture.

It's a perfect candid picture that Kevin was able to capture perfectly in the summer last year in LA. She's sitting in his lap, the sun shining on them and beating of their hair, she's looking up at him laughing, and Nick's looking down at her adoringly. It was a beautiful representation of their love.

There are cursive letters that read _Nick & Macy_ on the top, and it's sewn in very neatly.

He can hardly speak.

"I used to make scrapbooks on you and your brothers, so I got really good at making them," Macy explains, as Nick is an awe at the frame. She turns it open for him to look at inside. "I decided I'd use my hobby for us, I wanted to make something special for us to remember. I worked really hard on it."

He's on the verge of tears - _Nick Lucas does not cry_ - he has to tell himself.

His voice is happy, extremelyextremely happy, and how did he ever find someone as beautiful and amazing as Macy Misa. "It's perfect, Macy, I love it." He takes a deep breath, and it's as if words can't be strong enough to explain his appreciation. "I don't know what to say. It's so amazing, Macy, I love it _so_ much. I can't - wow."

He flips through the pages of their moments, pictures, and quotes and song lyrics that describe these moments, and he finds that there are empty pages at the back. In the first empty page, on the top, her neat handwriting says;

_These empty pages are for our future together._

And it's so much of a promise, that he feels like his heart is going to burst. It's so incredibly perfect, that he wants to kiss her, really wants to, but he has to wait and give his gift first. He reaches into his pocket, and her eyes widen at the velvet box. "This is my gift for you," Nick tells her.

She slowly reaches for it, and opens it, savoring the moment. Her jaw almost drops at the ring.

It's a beautiful white gold ring, and has a two birthstones (Sapphire for him for him and Peridot for her) in the frame of a diamond encrusted heart close to each other. On the ring, their names are carved in tiny letters in the gold, and she gasps, tears welling up into her eyes.

"It's a promise ring," Nick informs her, taking the ring from her and palming it in his hands. He lets the sun shine off of it, glittering in the light before taking it inbetween his fingers. Nick lightly slips it on her ring finger, and she admires it.

"I love it, Nick," Macy says, looking right into Nick's deep brown eyes. "It must've cost a fortune, thank you. Thank you so much."

He doesn't even stop himself from kissing her this time.

"I promise to be with you forever," he whispers against her lips, and when he pulls away, she can read the trust in his eyes.

.

He's gone for a month during the end of summer to shoot a movie in Vancouver. It's really an ideal thing, the popular teenage boy-band JONAS shooting a musical with the popular teenage pop star Chloe Lewis. It's more of a publicity stunt than an actual movie, and Joe's all for it.

He keeps bragging about how he actually had experience in acting, because he starred in _Forever April_, which turned out to be a huge success for the teenage crowd. And he complains about how he's not the lead and how Nick managed to score the lead with his deep, intense, romantic feelings.

Nick ignores him most of the time.

The story is cliché, lead singer Andrew falls in love with a normal girl with a big dream, Harmony, because he finds out she can sing - and not only sing_, but sing like an angel_. It's just the kind of movie people would expect, but would love anyway.

"Please don't leave," Nick begs his costar Chloe, grabbing onto her wrist, and pulling her back. He's done this scene a countless number of times with Macy, but he's never seemed to get it right with Chloe. He pretends she's Macy to try to make it emotion.

"Why?" Chloe asks, stage tears forming in her eyes. "So I can watch your parents and publicists sabotage me again? And how they tell me I'm not good enough for you, and I can't fit into the picture, and how I'm just a _distraction _from what really matters? No thanks."

"Because you're the most important thing in the world to me!" He yells, putting his hands on her shoulders, twisting her to face him. "If I lose you, I don't know what I'd do. You're the only person in this whole place that actually makes me feel like a real person."

Chloe cries, breaking down in front of him as the rain start pouring on them both. "I can't do this anymore." The rain is drenching them, his hair, running down their cheeks. "I can't live like this, feeling not good enough for your family. For your reputation."

"Just, please, believe in me," he pleads, the thought of Macy leaving him helping him with the scene.

"Give me one reason why I should."

Nick sighs and runs his hands through his hair, frustratedly, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "Because I love you, Macy." He tells her, and she looks confused. Then he realizes his mistake.

_Crap_.

.

Nick's slip up in on the front cover of almost every tween/teen magazine around. The video somehow was captured by some extra in the scene, and now has three hundred thousand views and counting on a popular video-sharing website.

But oddly, he doesn't care.

And although the publicity is screaming at him right now, how he's being called in for interviews, and all they can ask about is Macy, how whenever they go somewhere public, they get mobbed by paparazzi, he actually isn't that bothered by it as he'd usually be.

_Nacy_.

That's their celebrity couple name.

It sounds good, it just rolls right off his tongue. _NacyNacyNacyNacy_.

_Nick and Macy. Nick Lucas and Macy Misa._

_._

"We're seniors, Nick!" Macy shouts at him, a smile apparent on her face, as she throws her arms around him. His heart is flying and he thinks it can't get any better than Macy and him on their last year in high school, finally together.

"Seniors," Nick says quietly, as if testing out the word. A crooked smile soon spreads across his face. "Seniors!"

"This is going to be the best year ever!" she exclaims, jumping up and down, clearly enthusiastic. She's shoving her schedule in his hand as she grabs his.

"It really is," he agrees, his eyes running quickly over her classes.

.

Her phone rings his designated ringtone, _your biggest fan_, and she smiles, the song still giving those same butterflies since the first time he sang it to her. She takes the phone out of her tight jeans pocket, slipping it between her ear and her shoulder so she could continue doing the dishes.

"Hey, rockstar. Publicity meeting over already?"

He doesn't answer with his usual, _hey fangirl_, so she's worried. "Yeah, hey, can I come over?" Nick's voice is indifferent, and guilty almost. She turns off the water, wiping her hands on a towel before turning around and leaning on the counter, concerned.

"Sure," Macy says, her voice slow and cautious. "Everything okay?"

"Everything's fine," Nick lies, and she knows he's lying. "I'll be there in five, alright?" And before she answers, he hangs up the phone, and she holds her breath, worried about what his visit could possibly contain.

Despite the slightly bitter phone call, Macy opens the door with a smile on her face. He's slightly frazzled, his hair a mess, and his guitar slung over his shoulder. She's about to speak, but before any words can come out, he takes her face in his hands and roughly kisses her, desperation in his actions.

She doesn't know how to respond other than kissing him back. She wraps her arms around him, and he's scaring her.

And soon Nick pulls away for air, something in his eyes she just can't figure out. Then he says it. "We need to break up."

Her heart shatters in a million pieces.

.

Once he's gone, Macy throws her promise ring to the floor, her arms around herself, trying to hold herself from breaking apart. Tears can't stop falling as she takes everything he's ever given her, the ring, the earrings, the teddy bear he won her at the fair, the CD, everything, and she packs it up in a box.

With shaky hands, she takes the box, and stows in deep in the depths of her closet, and falls to the ground, crying.

.

Macy spends the night at Stella's, crying in her arms. Stella rocks her back and forth, feeds her ice cream, listens to her cries, and talks about sports, fashion, and anything else to get her mind off the 17-year-old heartbreaker.

She watches chick flicks and listens to breakup songs, and eats ice cream out of the box with her best friend until she doesn't know what she's doing anymore.

All she knows is that her heart hurts, and she feels like it's dropping, dropping downdowndown until it's gone and there's nothing there anymore.

Oh, and another thing.

Stella Malone is the best friend she'll ever have.

.

He goes home, and looks at the scrapbook she gave him for their one year.

He decides that photography is going to be his new hobby.

.

They don't sit together at lunch anymore.

Word travels fast, and as soon as the breakup happens, it seems to get around school just as fast. Her good friends in the volleyball team offers for her to sit with them, and she graciously accepts. She has fun at their table, but she can't help but feel that there's something missing - he's missing.

They are civil to each other, but they don't talk much.

Macy can't help but feel jealous and angry - aren't you allowed to feel jealous and angry at the girl who your boyfriend broke up with you for? She sees the magazines, she sees his lies in the interviews, she knows it's strictly for publicity reasons on his new movie.

Of course, he's dating Chloe, his costar to the new blockbuster movie that will come out in the summer.

_"It's just to get the fans excited about our onscreen romance, Mace, please, just try to understand," Nick pleads with her, his grip tightly on her wrist, it's almost sort of painful, but not as painful as how she's feeling right now. Tears are streaming down her cheeks._

_"So what? You're just going to give _us_ up for some business agreement?" Macy asks, tearing her hand away from his hold._

_"Mace, I have to do this," Nick tells her, hurt shining in his eyes._

_"No, you don't," Macy snaps, heading for the door and opening it for him to leave. "You don't have to do anything."_

_"Listen-"_

_"Leave, Nick," she says, and her voice is cold and steely._

It's wrong, but her fingers flip through the teen magazine and look at the pictures of the two together, and it makes her sick, sick to the stomach, raw feelings coming up and constricting her throat. She can't breathe, she needs to stop, but she can't. It's like an unhealthy addiction, following his career.

**Rumors have it that you're dating Chloe Lewis, who plays Harmony in your upcoming film "Becoming Harmony." Can you confirm these rumors? **

_Yes, we are very much together. Chloe is a very sweet, down to earth talented actress, and I am lucky to be apart of her life._

**Will we expect to see a kiss is "Becoming Harmony?"**

_Considering it's a romance movie, yes, you will see a kiss between the both of us_.

**You were dating Miss Macy Misa during the filming of this movie, whatever happened between the both of you?**

_We decided that it was better we stay friends._

Macy shuts the magazine quickly at the mention of herself and places it back on the rack before running off.

.

One day, she's driving to school when she hears _Your Biggest Fan_ go on the radio.

She listens to the song all the way through.

It still hurts, but she doesn't cry.

She's getting better.

.

Nick and Chloe breakup near the beginning March, almost a month after the Valentine's Day theatrical release of "Becoming Harmony."

He doesn't seem to be the least bit fazed by it, and goes on usually as he would on a normal day.

The relationship tactic seemed to have worked, the movie grossed number one on its opening weekend and was able to stay on the top list for the next few weeks before sliding off near the last few weeks. The movie was a success in the fanbase.

.

"Tickets go on sale for the senior prom, A Night Under The Stars, after school at the financial office," the speaker overhead says, announcing all over the school during lunchtime. Nick looks up, listening intently, a smile suddenly appearing on his face. "Each ticket is $35 dollars, but get them fast, they are expected to sell out. Prices will increase throughout the week."

He checks his back pocket for his wallet quickly, and he looks inside. He has eighty dollars. That's enough for two tickets. Nick can't stop the smile on his face.

The smile is apparent as he walks through the halls, but then he hears it.

"I think I'm going to ask that Misa chick," one of the boys on the football team says, taking off a sweaty jersey and throwing it in his locker. "She's so fucking hot, man, have you seen her on those volleyball courts?"

Nick's angry, bubbling through his veins, heat flooding through his cheeks and ears.

"Oh I know man, she's got killer legs."

He's infuriated that they're looking at his girl (not _his girl_ anymore, he has to remind himself) in a sexual way. Only he was allowed to see her in that way. No one else. She's his.

"Flexible too. Man, she could be good in bed."

That does it, his determination to ask Macy to the prom grows stronger - he has to ask her, especially before that jerk does. He wants to punch the guy, to hurt him for thinking such provocative thoughts, but he reminds himself that getting in a fight would not be the smartest idea in the world. He forces himself to walk past him, his feet heavy and unwilling to obey to his orders.

As soon as the bell rings that day, Nick hops out of his seat, and like many other anxious seniors, heads to the financial office to get his and Macy's tickets. He's one of the first people in line, and while he's paying, he can't help but think that that's probably the best seventy bucks he's ever spent in his life.

.

In the morning, Macy heads to school early and runs around the track field for a couple laps. She does this every Tuesday morning, it helps her relax and get ahold of herself - prepare her for the coming day. She wipes the sweat from her brow, slipping her bag over her shoulder and heading inside, the hallways nearly empty.

She sighs, school wouldn't start for a while, so she decides to head off to the atrium.

Macy can't help but love the little atrium with the glass doors and walls, the grass, and the sun, it's peaceful and relaxing. She drops her bag onto the ground and takes a seat on one of the little benches, grabbing a book and taking some time to just get some reading done.

She doesn't notice him come in, too drawn into her book.

She only looks up when she notices that someone has taken a seat next to her, the blood falls from her face as she notices it's Nick, Nick Lucas, the guy who broke her heart. "Hey Macy," he murmurs, and this is the first time they've really been alone.

"Nick," she addresses him. "Do you need something?" Macy asks. Her voice is polite, civil, professional, but certainly not warm. She slips a bookmark between the pages and shuts the book, putting it in between the space between them.

There's a sort of crooked rare smile on his face, and her heart is beating quickly. He still had that effect on her.

He's silent as he holds up a ticket to what seems to be for the senior prom, and he fans it out, revealing a second one. She raises her eyebrows, clearly confused. Hadn't they broken up? That's what she thought anyway. "Last year, I promised I'd take you to the senior prom."

Macy pauses. "Huh?"

"Macy, will you go to prom with me?" Nick asks, his voice deep, leaning in so close that she could smell the sugarfree cookies. It's dazing her, and he knows it, and he's just so close. "I promised, Macy. I want to go through with the promise. And I want to go to prom with you. Please give me a chance."

Macy's hesitant, and her head is a flurry of thoughts and emotions she can hardly sort them out. But despite the awkwardness between them, she can't think of anybody better she wants to go to prom with so she answers him. "Yes, Nick, I'll go to prom with you."

And he can't stop the huge smile on his face.

.

They pick out corsages together, and it almost feels like old times. Almost.

He takes her shopping for his tie, because she refuses to show him her dress, and it's tradition that his tie matches her. They act like friends going to prom together, and they laugh and spend the afternoon talking and just simply being nice to each other.

Macy picks out a dark blue tie and says, "This is the color of my dress. This is the one," and his eyes widen. It's his favorite color, how can he possibly manage to see someone as beautiful as Macy wear his favorite color?

.

Nick's right. She's insanely beautiful as she heads down the staircase gracefully. His breath catches and his heart stops, and he can hardly think, form any words to describe her other than the fact that - wow, _wow_, she's _sososobeautiful_.

Her hair is exquisitely curled at the bottom, it's down and it looks beautiful, and there's a flower matching her dress that's clipped to her hair. There's a hint of lip gloss on her lips and it's shiny, her lips are so full, and it makes him want to kiss her all the more, but he doesn't want to ruin their evening by bringing back these raw feelings. There's just a little makeup, it's very natural though, and it brings out her eyes, her _enticing hazel eyes_, and at that moment he thinks he has never seen any girl so beautiful.

The dress fits her perfectly, it brings out her curves, but it teases him. It's low cut, royal blue, and it ends midthigh. It's flowy enough for her to be comfortable, but perfectly elegant at the same time. Her heels show off her long, toned legs, and he feels so wrong to be looking at her legs, but man, she's fit.

Macy heads down, and he adjusts his suit and tie and poses for pictures in front of the camera for her parents.

Nick's a perfect gentleman, promising to bring her back before two and promising to take care of their daughter to the best of his ability. He shakes her fathers' hand and laughs with her mother, and he tries to regain their forgiveness for breaking their daughters' heart.

But Nick has to admit, her parents always liked him.

Once they're alone, he tells her how beautiful she is, and he swears he's never meant anything so much in his life. Nick holds her hand all the way to the limo, and he opens the door for her, helping her in and they're off.

The photographer asks them which pose they want to do, but he already knows. Nick wraps his arms around Macy from behind, holding her as close to him as he can, and he looks down at her adoringly as she looks back up at him with a smile on her face.

He sees the picture beforehand and all he can conjure up is that that picture looks like two teenagers hopelessly in love and it's just so perfect.

Prom goes well, they dance with each other and their friends, having fun and laughing, eating the intricately designed desserts, and dancing to high-tempo songs, and he lets himself go completely. He's never been a good dancer, especially at hip hop, but he doesn't worry about it that night.

Then near the end of the night a slow song comes on, and she's reluctant and looks down at her feet.

"Is it okay?" He asks her, his voice gentle and loving. His fingers find the bottom of her chin and he pushes it up so her eyes meet his, and her eyes are brimming with tears. "Please dance with me."

"Okay," Macy answers, her voice quiet and broken.

He takes her out to the dance floor and holds her close to his heart, their arms wrapped around each other. And they're not really dancing, they're just swaying to the beautiful music, but there's nowhere else they'd rather be but there in each others' arms.

And he thinks that things may be able to go back to what they used to.

After dinner, they're taking a walk in the moonlight together, his hands intertwined with hers, and he looks at her, how his jacket is loose on her shoulders, and all of a sudden he's kissing her.

Nick's kissing her hungrily with so much passion and want that he feels like he's about to explode. He can't stop kissing her and kissing her, and she's kissing him back, and it all feels so good, that he never wants to stop.

But it's as if Macy figures out what she's doing and she pushes him away. "No," she says, tearing falling and smudging her makeup. "I can't do this."

It hurts.

.

Graduation comes and goes, and Macy cries at graduation, but they're a mix between happy and sad cries. She's actually leaving, she's leaving all her friends and they're all leaving her and they're going onto the future with no idea if they're going to stay friends or lose contact.

She's with all her girlfriends from volleyball and tennis and all her guyfriends from football and baseball, and she's getting as many pictures as she can with them when she sees him. He's standing across the auditorium with Kevin and Joe and Mr. and Mrs. Lucas, but somehow her eyes can find that curly mop of hair so easily.

Macy catches him staring at her and she says goodbye to all her friends and hugs them before heading off them. She sees Stella, her best friend, first and engulfs her in a long hug, and she's congratulating her and telling her how much she'll miss her when she's off to LA for college. Stella pulls away after a few minutes and goes to Joe's side, as she encouragingly pushes her towards Nick.

He's been the biggest part of her senior year, anyway.

Nick pulls away from Joe, Kevin, and his parents to see her. "So this is the end," he says to her, simply, his voice somewhat sad. He sighs, his fingers finding his way to his hair. "You're going to California for college, right?"

She nods. "Yeah, and you're going on tour solo?"

He nods and a silence passes between them. "Would you and your family like to go to dinner with us?" He asks suddenly, looking up, and he's so hopeful, he thinks that she can probably see it too.

She smiles. "That would be great."

.

She moves to California, gets a job, and somewhere along the way, she falls for her coworker, Derek Peters.

He kisses her and hugs her and takes her out to dates, and she can't help but thing it's been so long since someone besides Nick has given her butterflies in her stomach and have this little crush-like feeling. Regardless, Macy isn't exactly as in love with him as she was with Nick, but it's nice. She needs a boyfriend.

They've been dating for six months when he breaks it off with her.

"I can't date someone who's already in love with someone else," Derek tells her, hurt flooding in his eyes. She's nothing but puzzled. _In love with someone else? Where did this come from?  
_

"What are you talking about?" Macy asks, ready to defend herself.

He holds out a box in front of her, and her breath catches. She doesn't know why she took the box to California with her, she guesses she likes having a part of him with her wherever she goes. She supposes she really wasn't thinking that day. "I found this box in your closet when I was looking for my jacket."

Macy sees the ring, and the jacket, and the silly loves notes and notices what this might imply. "I'm not in love with him. He's just my ex-boyfriend, I-"

"If you're not in love with him, why did keep all this stuff?" He cuts her off, and his voice is like stone. Derek looks at her, his eyes hard and unreadable.

For this, Macy doesn't have an answer. For some reason, she doesn't stop him as he walks out of her apartment.

.

It's been three years since graduation. He's in LA for some signing, meet and greet at some cafe, when suddenly it starts pouring.

Nick blames it on the rain, really. That's the only reason he wants a simple cup of coffee anyway. It's always comforting, warming, that through the wind and turbulence of rain, through workplace stress and constant needs to meet up with others' expectations, a cup of coffee seems to always make things better.

That's what Nick always tells himself anyway, as a workaholic.

Stepping into the empty coffee shop in a rather small part of Los Angeles, he adjusts his simple gray fedora and ray bans, a little paranoid as the bell rang with the opening of the door. This is his way of going incognito, he always thought that without the hair and the eyes, certain enthusiastic paparazzi and fans would cease to notice him, and he'd simply blend in with the crowd.

It works, for the most part.

"Hey, welcome to Karl's Cafe, what can I get for you?" An animated, clearly feminine voice, rips through his thoughts. Nick looks up to see that this girl isn't even looking at him. She has her head down, jotting notes quickly into a notebook, and scanning a textbook on the counter in front of her.

On her is the coffee shop's basic uniform, a maroon hat that was labeled in neat cursive letters, _Karl's Cafe_, the same colored collared shirt with a name tag on it. He adjusts himself to try to take a look at the name tag in order to address her by name, but finds it difficult, considering her head bent at such an angle.

"I'll just get a regular cappuccino," Nick answers simply, his hand fidgeting for his wallet in the back pocket of his jeans.

The seemingly 21-year-old grabs a thick coffee cup from next to her and checks the appropriate box. "Coming right up," she says. "And your name is?"

Nick rolls his eyes, _why isn't she even looking at him? Is this how she usually treats her customers?_ Her gaze is intent on the cardboard cup and sharpie she's holding onto.

"Nick," he answers, and that's when she finally tilts her head up, meeting his eyes (_or sort of through his thick sunglasses_). And right then, Nick realizes why she's hiding her face. Under her eyes are dark bags, a look of exhaustion, and wait a minute, he's seen those eyes before.

"N-nick?" the brunette stammers, a confused, yet-scared look on her face. She quickly writes his name on the cup, and there's a familiar way how she puts a heart over his i and has sort of a cursive-but-not-really penmanship. And that's when he sees her name tag.

_Shit. _He thinks, taking off his glasses and setting them lightly on the table. "Macy," Nick nods, and _damn, _she forgot how good-looking that boy was in person.

Macy hands the cup to the confused coworker behind her, and he begins to prepare the drink. "Drink's on me," Macy mutters, sort of shyly, pressing a few buttons of the cash register.

"No, Macy, don't worry about it, I got it," he replies, his fingers already fishing out a five-dollar bill from his wallet. She pushes his hand back, her fingers brushing over his, and _god, wasn't she over him, why was she feeling like this_?

"Keep it," Macy insists, her fingers grasping her pencil tightly once again. "Think of it as a... gift."

An awkward silence passes between them, as she's back writing in her notebook again, and he's impatiently waiting for his drink. "Mace," Nick starts, awkwardly. And god, what's with the awkwardness between them? They'd always been so comfortable with each other... "I think we should catch up, or something..." He ends, lamely.

She sighs, puts down her pencil and looks up, the bags so apparent under her eyes, that it drives him crazy. What had she been doing to herself for all these years? "Tell you what Nick, I'm off at five, which is about a good five minutes from now, so if you sit around for that long, we can head to my apartment and we'll catch up there, alright?"

Nick can't help but remember that Macy had always been the more direct one. "Sounds good," he says, grabbing his coffee from the counter and taking a seat at one of those empty tables. He slips his ray bans back on.

Macy taps her pencil on her textbook, fingers tapping at her temple, clearly confused at the content on the page.

"Who's that?" Derek asks from behind her, his voice quiet enough so Nick couldn't hear them. The man, about in his early-twenties, steps over so he's closer to Macy, waiting for an explanation. Macy sighs.

"That's no one, Derek," she answers, her back to him, her eyes focused on the page in front of her.

"Uh huh," Derek pushes, clearly unbelieving, his eyes trailing to the musician who just picked up the phone.

"Honest."

"Come on, Macy, I've known you for what- 2 years, and you honestly think you can get away with not telling me anything," The blonde protests, his fingers combing through her ponytail. Macy pushes his hand away and turns to face him.

"He's my ex-boyfriend," Macy begins, stumbling over her words. "Nick Lucas, you know, the singer and songwriter? When we dated, he used to be in that old band, JONAS, back when I was sixteen, and then we just... didn't work out." She bites her lip, raw emotions from years ago bubbling up in her stomach. She rubs her tired eyes before turning around again.

"Is he box-boy?" Derek asks, a bit of envy and resentment in his voice. "You know, when-"

"Yeah," she breathes. "Box-boy."

"Oh," he responds, begrudgingly, eying the rockstar who was now yelling in his phone. "I don't like him."

Macy can't help the laugh that came out of her all of a sudden, at her coworker's somewhat childish (but justified) comment. "Of course you wouldn't, Der," she says, her fingers flipping the pages of the physics textbook. "I wouldn't blame you, I wouldn't like himself too much if I were you either. Actually, I'm not sure if I even like him too much as myself right now."

Right at that moment, her alarm on her phone goes off - the default alarm. She remembers in her old fangirl days when her phone would bust out a song of JONAS, but she had grown up, and she'd moved on - that's what life was about anyway.

"I'm out," Macy answers, pulling off her hat and shirt and stuffing it in her duffel bag.

"Finally off work?" Nick asks, a breathtaking small smile on his face. Her breath catches for just a moment, but she blinks and wills herself to stay calm.

"Right," Macy answers, adjusting her bag to a more comfortable position. "I usually walk to work, because my apartment is just down the block, but..."

Nick stands up, precisely throwing his empty cup into the trash can on the right of him, and giving her a smug smile when he made it in.

"You were always good at that," Macy mutters.

His grin grows wider, and he takes the duffel bag from her shoulders, despite her protest. "We'll take my car."

.

"What's with the bags under your eyes?" He asks, as soon as they get settled on her couch.

"Bags?" Macy asks, confused, her fingers reaching up to touch the skin right under her eyes. A look of recognition flashes through her face. "Oh, you know, just lack of sleep and stuff," she says nonchalantly, like it's no big deal. But it's a big deal.

For him, anyway. "What's been keeping you up?" Nick asks, his fingers reaching out to touch her, but stopping at the last moment and dropping his hand. "I don't like seeing you like this," he admits, looking down at his shoes.

"It's no big deal, really," she insists. "Just work, school, volleyball, my internship, it's a lot, and I have to keep up, and these are just one of the things that seem to come with a struggling college student who needs to pay the rent."

Nick feels guilty, and out of nowhere he blurts out, "I'll pay the rent for you." He doesn't regret it when he says it, but feels a little off when she raises her eyebrows. "It's no big deal, I have to money, and you can't keep working like this, you're a mess, Mace."

She shakes her head. "I can handle it," Macy explains, leaning back on the couch a little. "Besides, you just can't stomp into my life with three years without contact and tell me you can pay my rent. That's just sort of crazy."

He rolls his eyes. "Speaking of that, what have you been up to for the past three years?"

Macy takes a moment to think, putting her hands lightly on her lap. "Well, as you know, I attend USC as a Journalism/Communications major and I play college volleyball," she recites, as if she's said this many times before. Nick watches her, intently.

"Journalism? I always thought you wanted to go to the Olympics," Nick comments, remembering back to the old dream she had when they were dating.

"I did," Macy says, running her fingers through her long hair. "But I realized sports are something I just do for fun, for the thrill of competition. I'm just not cut out for an Olympic-style life, and I can't possibly stick to one sport at a time."

"So how'd you get into Communications?"

"Remember how I used to run your website and basically, I was a publicist for you guys?" Macy asks, but it's more of a reciprocal question than any. He nods. "Well, I realized that was just something I liked to do, so I went into that field, got an internship at Teen Star magazine and it just seemed to work out for me. I love it."

"That's good," Nick murmurs, feeling proud of his friend.

Macy smiles, and leans closer to him. "I love it here. I mean, it's not the same as small town New Jersey, but I like the city. I mean, I was a little put off in the beginning because I was just so far away from Stella," she trails off, before perking up again. "But after she was transferred from New York to Los Angeles two years ago, it's been amazing. I mean, honestly, she can pretty much visit me all the time, because she's so close. I love it. And plus, sometimes I get to see Joe and Kevin. Things are finally looking up."

"I'm happy for you," Nick says, sincerely. "You're getting everything you wanted."

"Yeah..." Macy says, but there's a hint of indifference in her voice. She sighs, but decides to change the subject. "So what about you? Actually, I think I know a lot, you won a grammy, starred in several movies, and had a couple sold-out world tours. You've had some good times yourself."

He shrugs, like the modest person he is. "Sure, I have, but it's because of my band when I went solo, and my family and friends and everyone supporting me," Nick insists, humbly. "And I just love music, so that's all that matters, right?"

She nods, smiling. "I'm glad you finally got to fully live your dream."

"Wow, we've got a lot done in these past few years," He responds, in awe. He scratches his head, thinking back.

"That we have," Macy says softly.

Nick doesn't know how to ask his next question. He clears his throat awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Have you ever, uh," he coughs, biting his lip. "You know, ever, uh, have someone,"

Macy laughs, he was never one that was good with words. She knows what he's meaning to say, so she shrugs. "I've dated, yes," Macy starts, and she could swear she sees his face fall. She shakes her head though. "There have been four or five guys here or there, most of them jerks, but I've never actually really you know, fallen. Except for one boy. My coworker, you saw him today. But we only dated for about six months before it ended."

There's some conflicting emotion in his face. "Why'd he break up with you?" He asks, curious.

She laughs at the irony in the situation. Nick seems confused, his brow furrying together. "You," she says.

"_Me_?" He asks, taken aback.

Macy figures it's time to show him the box.

.

He doesn't know what to expect when she hands him a decently-sized cardboard box. "What's this?"

"Open it," Macy tells him, and he sits down on the hardwood floor of her bedroom and she sits down across from him. Nick cautiously opens the flaps, and his eyes widen at what he sees. One by one, he takes out every single thing in the box, and there must be _tons _of things in there.

He's looking in surprise at everything he ever gave her, a teddy bear, _his jacket he gave her at prom_, pictures, love notes, CDs, and there's a sense of nostalgia that comes back to him, missing the old days of their old teenage sweetheart romance. He doesn't notice that he's crying until he picks up that single promise ring that he got her for her one year.

He broke his promise.

.

Nick stays in LA for several more weeks after that, convincing himself that it's for publicity and movie events, but really, it's just to see Macy. Oh, and Stella. He decides he isn't going on tour for a long long time. Besides, this is where all his friends are.

Joe, on the red carpet in the Hollywood premiere of his new movie. Kevin, working as a director in his private office in LA. Stella, working on a fashion magazine in just the same place.

It seems perfect. It seems as if they've all come back to one place.

They go out for movie nights, dinner, hangouts, sleepovers, and it feels so much like old times that he almost can't stand it. It's so amazing.

.

"Can I try something?" Macy asks him suddenly. They're in her apartment alone, hanging out and talking. She's on the other side of the kitchen counter and leaning over it, facing him. He pauses from his story for a minute, not the least bit annoyed that she cut him off. "I'm sorry, but I just want to try it."

"Try what?" Nick asks, a puzzled but curious look on his face.

"It's just that, I want to see if it's still.." She trails off, some faraway look in her eyes.

He's not following. "Huh?"

She surprises him, she leans in and kisses him, a slow, deep kiss. His eyes close immediately, and he's doing his best to make this an amazing toecurling kiss - and god, he forgot how much he loved kissing her. She's so into it, and his hand finds her cheek, holding it and bringing her face even more closer to him.

His tongue finds his way in her mouth, and he's deepening it, fully intent on making out with her.

That's when she pulls away.

Macy seems as surprised as he is when she looks at him. She takes a deep breath and leans back on the counter behind her, her fingers on her lips. "God," she mutters, looking at her feet.

"What?" Nick asks, taken aback.

"The spark," she explains, looking shyly up at him, her hazel eyes meeting his brown ones. "It's still there."

He's silent.

"Maybe.." Macy starts, as if she can't find the right words. She sighs. "Maybe we shouldn't do that again."

He wants to say something, but he doesn't.

.

Macy cries herself to sleep that night, her arms around herself, curled up in a ball in her bed. She crawls on the ground, takes the promise ring out of the unopened box still lying on the floor. She slides it on her ring finger where it used to be.

It fits.

She's so confused.

She slips it in her pocket so she can keep it with her everywhere.

.

"You know why we broke up, right?" Nick asks her one day, while she's at work.

"Sure," she answers, using a damp washcloth to wipe the counter free of any coffee stains. She looks up and meets his eyes. "You decided that your long distance relationship was way too complicated, and that you two, with reluctance, heartbreakingly decided to end it. But you guys are still extremely good friends and talk often."

"Ah," Nick says nonchalantly, bringing the cup of coffee to his lips before answering. Macy raises her eyebrows at this.

"Ah?"

Nick sets his cup down on top of the glass display of bakery goods. "See that's not very accurate," he says.

"Oh? It was a pretty reliable source," Macy counters, her palms slamming on the counter, he leaning forward - challenging him.

"And how would you justify that?"

He smile falters just for a moment, but the smirk is back on as soon as it had disappeared. "They always had the most correct information when you and I were dating," she says, leaning back, her voice soft.

Nick's expression changes for just a second, she thinks she imagined the small frown on his mouth. "As our official fansite owner, I'm disappointed in you."

"Why is that?" She asks, curiously.

"Have you ever known for my breakups to go in detail like that?"

Macy thinks for a moment, then shrugs. "I guess not."

"Exactly," Nick says, his fingers tapping some sort of song on the glass. "That story about our breakup? So fake. Strictly business."

"So what really happened?" Macy pushes, growing impatient by the second. He doesn't speak for a while, just to tick her off. "Nick!"

He laughs, sliding his two fingers from his ear to his jaw. "Well, Chloe was very _clingy_," he explains, a thoughtful look on his face. "She found out that I had picture of another girl as the wallpaper of my cellphone, and she seemed to blow up about that?"

"Oh? And who's picture was that?" Macy teases, sticking her tongue out. "Some playboy model?"

He mocks shock and hurt. "I can't believe you think I'm that kind of person!"

Macy rolls her eyes. "Oh please, don't act like you're that innocent virgin everyone says you are, I'm sure you're like every other teenage hormonally-driven guy out there," she says, disinterested, her fingers swiping off the dust on the cash register.

Nick laughs and shakes his head. "No. It was you."

.

"Is it really that impossible? The idea that you and I could somehow, possibly, get back together again?" Nick asks one day at lunch at a small Italian restaurant.

"Yes," Macy says, her voice shaky, the back of her eyes burning from the tears threatening to fall.

"Why?" He asks, hurt.

"Because you broke my heart, Nick," Macy says, quietly. "Who says you're not going to do it again?"

"Me." Nick says, but she doesn't believe him.

.

He finds out she's got a date with one of Stella's friends from the office. He lashes out, and he doesn't know what he's doing anymore, because he can always keep his composure, especially in public. But there they are, standing on a public street in LA, screaming at each other.

The paparazzi are going to have a field day.

"I loved you best, Macy," he yells at her retreating figure, his voice strained. "I always loved you best."

She turns around angrily, hot tears threatening to fall from her eyes. Her fists are clenched behind her, furiously, as she walks up right in front of him and stares him down accusingly. They're so close physically, but it's as if they're so far apart in reality. "If you loved me best, why did you choose her over me? Why did you leave me? Why did you break your promise?" Her voice cracks, lowering to a level just above a whisper. "If you loved me best, why did you break my heart?"

His heart feels like it was breaking into a million little tiny pieces at every word she says. "I had no choice," he answers, weakly.

"BULLSHIT!" She screams, viciously, tears streaming constantly from her eyes. "You had a choice! You _always _had a choice."

"Mace, it wasn't like that!" He defends himself, he's never wanted to see her cry, and it hurts him that he's the reason of her heartache. "It's an obligation. I owe it to my band to do anything for it!"

"And you don't owe anything to me?" Macy asks, tears refusing to stop flowing out of her eyes. She rubs them, he cheeks soaked. "You acted like I was the most important person in the world to you when we dated, but you were able to throw all of that away for your career." She trails off, constricted by her sobs as she struggles to catch her breath.

"You promised that you would be with me forever," she says, broken, her hand on her heart, as if to keep it from falling out.

"Macy, I-"

"Just forget it," she whispers breathlessly. "You're just _fake_. You're going to get a girlfriend, and you're going to write songs for her and kiss her and act like she's the most special girl in the world... but that's all it's going to be. An act. An act that you've perfected with all the other hearts you've broken. My heart that you've broken."

Macy runs from him, and he feels like he's barely holding himself together as he chases her, he takes her in his arms.

"I never stopped loving you, you know," Nick tells her, tears dripping from his eyes. "I might've stopped dating you, but I never, ever, stopped loving you."

Macy sinks to the ground. "I can't handle you breaking my heart," she says, her fingers going to wipe the tears from her eyes. "Stella's Aunt Lisa was right. Rockstars are heartbreakers, that's all there is to it."

"Please, please give me another chance." He pleads with her, and she takes a deep breath.

"I can't," Macy admits, her voice breaking. He grabs her hands and stares right into his eyes.

His voice is soft as he sings, "_Cause I never really noticed, took a while for me to see,_" he sings it slowly, and the song registers in her mind. She feels like she's going undone at every word she sings, and she can't handle it, the old memories from that summer from years ago flooding back to her. "_I'm playing back the moments, and I'm starting to believe._"

Macy's muttering incomprehensible words, her mouth not able to form any completely sentences. "No," she cries, her voice tired.

Nick doesn't stop singing, his eyes serious. "_That you could be at the show, and know everyone, but it's you that makes me sing,_" she attempts to wring out her hands out of his hold, but it's tight. "_I may not know where we are, but I know who I am. Baby, I'm your biggest fan_." He finishes and she hates him all of sudden - feels this resentment for leaving her and for hurting her and she thinks he doesn't have the right to sing that song, not after what happened.

"Stop it, just stop it!" She screams at him and she tears herself away from him. Macy takes the promise ring out of her pocket and throws it at him, it hits his chest and falls to the ground. "I hate you! I hate you so much, Nick Jerry Lucas!"

He doesn't chase after her when she runs this time.

.

She finds that familiar scrapbook on the front door of her apartment the next day. She opens it and looks through all the good times she had, and how much effort she put in it.

But there's a few pages that she hasn't seen before.

There's a picture of Macy a few days after her breakup surrounded around her volleyball friends, but still looking so alone.

There's another picture of them at prom, and it's that beautiful picture the photographer took of them. The background was a backdrop of a concrete floor and a beautiful night sky, a tree, with lights hanging down from it.

She finds another picture of her shaking hands with the principal at graduation, a wide-toothed smile on her face and tears in her eyes.

The next page has a picture of her serving a man at the cafe. It's candid, and it's taken with her smiling and obviously not aware of the camera. Her bangs are falling in her eyes in the most perfect way, and her eyes are sparkling, she's biting her lip in concentration - and her heart bubbles with happiness. He's made her beautiful. Something she's never seemed to thought herself as.

_He's made her beautiful._

The next few pages have his beautiful cursive writing on the page opposite of a picture of him alone at a piano with his hands over his forehead.

_Dear Macy,_

_I just want to start off by saying how much I love you. I've dated a countless number of girls, and none of them ever seem to compare to how much you mean to me. I'm so used to falling so hard and fast for a a girl that it hardly feels real. I never really get to know them, just what I can see on the outside and the person I've made them out to be. Falling in love with girls like that, it feels like a dream, that I'm floating on cloud nine.  
_

_But then I realized that's not what love is. Love is when you spend time with someone and it feels so real. That when you're in that single moment with that special someone, you feel that time and people around are you just moving too fast and you want so desperately to stop it, to just savor that moment with each other - but you can't. That's how I feel when I'm with you. Love is when you're not with someone, it hurts and you don't know what to do anymore when they're gone. You can be surrounded by hundreds of people, but without that one person, you feel alone. That's how I felt without you. Love isn't a dream, it isn't simply floating on cloud nine, and it certainly isn't perfect._

_I know you don't deserve me. You deserve someone who can always be there for you and is willing to give you this amazing steady relationship. I can't do that. I know sometimes I can't be there for you and sometimes I'm not around when you need me the most, and it kills me. It kills me still inside that I missed our six month and our first Valentine's together. That you had to sit in class and watch couples kiss each other and all you could get was whatever I could send you through air mail. But despite all this, you have to know that I love you the best. You can find a guy that will say that he loves you the most, but that's not true. I doubt anybody can outdo the love I feel for you._

_I'm not just another rockstar. I won't play with your heart and then when I find a better girl, hurt you. Stella's Aunt Lisa was wrong about that. You have to know I'm different._

_You're beautiful and wonderful and exactly the kind of girl anybody would be looking for. When you smile, your eyes sparkle, and when you laugh, it's beautiful and it rings through the room and makes everyone want to laugh with you. You're the kind of girl that can just simply walk into the room and make everyone feel better. You're a great girlfriend and an amazing friend. You listen to me and you're willing to put up with me - and I know how difficult that can be at times, and I love you for that._

_You've got a face for a smile, you know. And I hate to see you cry, and I will always hate seeing you cry and watching you get hurt, and I want to kill myself when I know that I'm the fault for it. Please give me another chance. I never wanted to hurt you._

_I love you, Macy Nicole Misa._

_Yours Forever,_

_Nick Lucas._

She's crying, and man, she's been doing that a lot these days. She shuts the book and places it inside on her desk, smiling through her tears. Macy doesn't know what to feel. She takes the old ring from it's velvet box again and slips it on her finger, twirling it around and biting her lip.

Then, she runs. But this time, she's not running away from him.

.

Macy finds him in the recording studio, he's leaning over the control panel, headphones on, a concentrated look on his face. She's out of breath and can hardly catch it, her hand over her stomach, her heart beating fast, she feels like it's going to explode. All her thoughts are gone as he turns to look at her, a surprised look on his face.

She's feeling loving but hateful, touched but angry all at the same time, and all these conflicting emotions in her are bubbling up inside of her and she feels like she's in a small room with no air inside, suffocating her.

She walks right up to him, and they're both silent, and you can almost feel the tension in the room. She looks up at him, and he's a little intimidating, and _why does he have to be so tall all the time_?

"Nicholas Jerry Lucas," Macy says, her voice steady and strong. "You are the most cheesiest person in the world." And she smiles, a goofy grin, and his heart feels like soaring because he's finally forgiven after all these years.

"Am I?" He jokes, acting clueless. The right side of his mouth goes up. "I mean, that's what's gotten my albums multi-platinum and won me a grammy, right?"

She rolls her eyes and pushes his shoulder back with her hand playfully. She looks at his shirt, fingering the plaid collar a little. "You know, I always liked it when you wore flannels. I thought they suited you very well," Macy says, randomly. Then she reaches up, her arms wrapping around the back of his neck, going up on her tiptoes and pressing her lips shyly onto his.

It's a sweet, short kiss, and when he pulls away, he can see the sparkle in her eyes. He grins, and takes that old little promise ring out of his pocket, and slips it on her finger.

Nick kisses it, and she smiles, promise in his eyes.

It restarts with amended promises, sparkles, and make up kisses in an empty studio.

* * *

_So that's the end. I hope you liked it, or parts of it._

_Thanks for reading, you're the best._

_If you enjoyed it, please leave a review or favorite the story, it doesn't matter if you do one of them or both, they seem to be very interchangeable actions for me._

_As long as you let me know that you've read it and liked it._

_I know some people who are starting school tomorrow, so best of luck of you're one of those people! If you're one of those September 7th people, such as myself, best of luck on that faithful day after labor day! _

_Love, _

_May Lily._


End file.
